GX 460 timing cover leak and KDSS: what to look at before you buy a used one

i have had a lot of these on a lift. the cover: on the lift, look at the driver side of the engine where the timing cover meets the block, right around the level of the alternator and down. a normal one is dry or has a dusty film you can wipe with a finger. a weeper has a wet stripe running down the cover toward the oil pan with dirt stuck in it. a bad one has a drop hanging off the bottom corner of the pan after it sits overnight. most of the ones i see between 60 and 120k are somewhere between dry and a film, and a surprising number never get worse than that.

the fix at a dealer is about 12 hours of labor plus the RTV and gaskets, so you are looking at 3,000 to 3,600 depending on the store. some independents in the cities do it for 2,200 to 2,600. i would not walk away from a film. i would walk away from a drip unless they knock the whole repair off the price.

KDSS. there are two hydraulic cylinders, one on the front sway bar and one on the rear, hard lines between them, and an accumulator and valve block on the driver side frame rail near the middle of the truck. with the truck on the lift, look at the cylinder rods where they come out of the cylinder body. dry is good. wet with a ring of oily dirt is a leaking seal, and the cylinder is about 700 plus labor. look at the accumulator body for wetness and follow the lines for rust on the fittings, this is Minnesota so the lines matter more than the cylinders.

the lean: park it on a flat floor, walk to the back and sight across the rear bumper, then do the front. a lean of half an inch to one side is common and it is a bleed procedure, about an hour, not a part. on the valve block there are two bleed screws. if a shop ever tells you they opened them "all the way" that is a problem, the procedure says 2 to 3 turns, no more, or you make a mess and a bigger job. a big lean plus a wet cylinder is a different story, that is a cylinder.

at 58k with one owner and a film on the cover, i would buy it and negotiate 500 off for the weep you cannot see yet. i would not pay a dime extra for "certified" on a lot that is not a Lexus store.

we have a 2021 with 31k and i went through the same reading before we bought it. the shop we use in Fargo put it up and there was nothing on the cover, but the tech said the same thing as above, a film is not a reason to run. the KDSS thing scared me more than it should have. ours sat about a quarter inch low on the driver rear when it showed up, i had convinced myself it was a leaking cylinder, and it was the bleed. the shop had it level in 45 minutes.

one thing nobody told me: check that the rear cargo door hinge is not sagging. the side swing door on the GX is heavy and on some the striker does not line up anymore and the door does not close on the first push. not a big fix but it is annoying every day.

from the guy who owns a 2016 Range Rover, and i say this with love: a weeping RTV seam and a hydraulic sway bar that needs bleeding are the two most boring problems in this whole segment. my air suspension has cost me more in one winter than a timing cover job. the GX is the truck you buy when you want to stop thinking about the truck.

i would add one thing to the lift list. the GX shares its frame and a lot of parts with the 4Runner and the Prado, and the parts are cheap and everywhere. that is worth something when you compare it to what a Land Rover or a BMW part costs in a small town.

not a Lexus guy but i cross shopped one. if the third row is a real reason and not a maybe, put an adult in it before you sign. the GX third row is fine for kids and a punishment for anyone over five foot eight. we went Escalade because my father in law is six two and he was not going to fold up back there. different truck, different money, but sit in it.

good buy. put a piece of cardboard under the front of the engine for the first week so you know where you are starting from with the cover. rear diff takes 75W-85 GL-5, not 75W-90, and the transfer case wants the Toyota transfer gear oil, do not let a quick lube put generic in there. and wash the underside before the salt starts, the KDSS lines will thank you in five years.